What's Next?

With winter half over and spring 8 weeks away, its time to think about finishing up the projects from last year...particularly the patio!! All the brick is down, all of the new planting beds are built. All that is left is to patch the foundation, re-paint, build a pergola and finally plant the new beds. If all goes as planned, we are looking to have this all finished in the first of second week of March, just in time for the kids birthdays. Is it perfect, no - but it was a great experience and although I wish it didn't take as long as it did, there is a great sense of satisfaction in how it looks. I cannot wait until it is all complete.

For the rest of the outdoor projects still to be finished:

• I now have 10 yards of dirt (excavated from the patio area) lining the back fence. The goal is to build a small stone retaining wall and make this a 30 foot planting bed
• I have to level an area by May in the back corner of the yard and replant for the purpose of my new beehive. I saved some cement squares and about 1/2 yard of stone dust to help combat weeds that I will be reluctant to pull in the summer with 50,000 bees flying around me.
• I also still have to rebuild the gate and an arbor for my garden area. This is a project from 2008 that keeps not getting done. The new puppy loves laying in the garden which is fine for now....once plants are in there, I don't think I will be as OK with it.

Each and every month, Jen and I go through finances and we inevitably look at the biggest ticket item ... food. At about $1,200 a month for a family of 4, we are starting to look for ways to spend less without sacrificing what we believe in. We try to eat as organically as we can; where we can't, we avoid HFCS and food dyes. This means Trader Joe's for most everything with an occasional visit to Whole Foods. A Local butcher carries mostly organic proteins and we visit farmer markets in the summertime. Each time we talk, the more we realize that we should cook more like our ancestors - meals from scratch. Will this impact our food budget? I guess only time will tell...

3 basic recipes that I need to make more...

Pasta Dough

• 3 cups bread flour (all purpose if you do not have)
• 3 eggs + a 4th yolk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil

Put all flour, sugar and sale in a pile and make a well in the center. Place the eggs and yolk in the well. Lightly scramble the eggs and begin to pull in the flour little by little. Once all flour is incorporated (it will look messy)scrape it all together into a ball.. Knead for a few minutes to work the gluten. When done, form into a ball, wrap in plastic and let sit for 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax before you use. If you put in the fridge for use at a later time, let it sit out for 30 minutes before you use it to allow it to come back to room temp.

Pizza Dough

• 2-1/2 cups of bread flour (or all purpose flour)
• 1 package (2.5 ounces) of active yeast
• 1-1/4 cups of luke warm water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp olive oil

In 1/4 cup of warm water, add the dry active yeast and a pinch of sugar; mix well with a fork. Let sit for 10 minutes. If the the mixture has not foamed at all, the yeast is not good and you should start over with new yeast. In a large mixing bowl, put all dry ingredients. Add all wet and mix well with one hand. It will be very sticky for he first few minutes. Take your time and mix until a ball forms. At this time, remove from the bowl, clean and dry your hands and start to knead the dough for a few minutes until it is all consistent and easily forms a ball (if using a mixer with a dough hook, let hook work the dough for 5-7 minutes in place of kneading). Coat the ball with a little olive oil, place back in bowl and cover with a rag. Let sit for 1.5 hours until it doubles in size. Punch down and let sit for 10-15 minutes before using.

Apple Pie Crust

For a double crust:

• 2-1/2 cups flour (all purpose)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp
• sugar
• 1 stick of cold butter
• 2-6 tbsp cold water

For me, the best result is in a food processor. Put in all dry ingredients and pulse for a minute or two. Cut butter into 10-12 pieces and add pulsing between each addition. Once all butter is added, begin to process as you add 1 tbsp of water at a time. Before you reach 6 tbsp, the dough will begin to look like thousand of teeny tiny balls. Stop, add no more water, and dump out onto your counter. mound and mold into a ball, divide it into two equal parts. If it is still too crumbly at this stage, work 1 tbsp of water in by hand. Make two discs, cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge for 30 minutes. Let it rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before you roll out.

Food Harvested:
None

Things Planted:
None

Seeds Saved:
None

Preserved/Cooked:
Yogurt
Bread
Mozzarella
Pizza!!!

Things to Remember:
Too Much...